Formula E champ di Grassi is the boss of autonomous racing

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“Roborace isn’t trying to replace motorsport but augment it. So human motorsport could become more human.” Not our words, the words of Lucas di Grassi when we spoke to him about autonomous racing a couple of months ago. Well, he’s now CEO of the Roborace series.

It ought to bolster the reputation of a series purists will naturally be suspicious of. Di Grassi has raced in Formula 1 and at Le Mans, so it’s probably in his interest to make sure real racing drivers still have jobs.

“The future of mobility is autonomous, that’s an industry consensus now,” he says. “In the same way, I believe that motorsport is about the driver, who is the best human being behind the wheel. I want to develop the Roborace series to be complimentary to traditional motorsport, and not to replace it.”

The idea is that Roborace will make autonomous driving more acceptable to drivers, quickening up its introduction, something that will also be sped up by how much quicker the technology can develop in the extreme environment of racing.

Roborace is set to become a support series to Formula E, the all-electric race series which di Grassi is both a champion and a founding partner of. Are you excited to see it, or do you have doubts?

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